Finding Love
by Cowlek
Summary: Harry and Ginny struggling through a friendship that should be somehing more.


'Good morning sunshine'

'What the fuck',Harry opened his eyes and peered blearily into the darkness of his room,just as the curtains were thrust open by non other than-'Ginny Weasley would you please explain what the hell you are doing'.Harry stuck his head under his pillow desperate to get away from the light.Sunlightd hangovers did not mix well.

'Harry,why don't you explain what the hell you're doing'

'Sleeping'

'And having a conversation with me at the same time?'

Lifting his pillow up Harry peeped out slightly and ,squinting from the sunlight, took in the sight before him.

Ginny Weasley was stood, framed against his window which the sun beamed through. Harry took in the curve of her hips, here arms folded across her perfect chest and her red hair framing her face.

Grumbling he pulled the bed covers over his head.

'Just go away Gin' he mumbled through his pillow,'Im not in the mood'

'And neither am I Harry, so if you don't get out of bed now im going to have to smother you with that pillow you're cuddling'

Harry felt her sit down on the end of the bed as the bed springs groaned loudly._He really did need to get a new bed._

'You really do need to get a new bed Harry'

'Thanks for that Ginny,now would you please go away'

'What so you can wallow in your own misery?'

'Yes thanks that would be great,now please fuck off'

Harry do you know how long you have been in here,holed up in your room,which by the way is really starting to smell,mind if I open a window?'

"Actually yes I do mind' he answered as the bed springs gave another blatant groan signalling Ginny had gotten up to open the window. 'And no, I don't know how long i've been in here and I don't give a damn either' Harry was telling the truth, he wasn't sure whther it had been two days or two weeks since he had decided he was no longer leaving his flat,and it had only been a short while after he'd made that decision, an hour or so maybe, that he came to the conclusion that leaving his _bedroom_ was totally unecessary unless it was to go to the bathroom.

' 5 days Harry,do you want to tell me exactly what the point in this is'

Harry stayed silent,he wasn't so sure what the point was.Infact the only thing he was currently sure of was that he had a severe headache and Ginny was not making it any better.Noting that Harry wasn't going to reply Ginny continued ' You've been stuck in here for 5 days straight with the windows and curtains closed,not answering the telephone or the fire;Ron's tried to get hold of you a few times,he came round once and said you didn't answer the door so he guessed you wanted to be left alone-'

'Well he guessed right' Harry said,glad that Ron understood his situation.

Ginny ignored Harry and carried on 'Mums been worried sick,and its a good job Hermiones working away because she'd have been straight round here banging on the door.She's owled us a few times but we haven't told her about you,you're lucky she's really busy with work but trust me when she gets back you might not be so lucky,you know what Mums like,mouth like the Hogwarts Express,she'll be telling Hermione straight away.' Harry heard Ginny sigh as she padded around his bedroom.

'What have you been doing in here by yourself?' Ginny asked, holding a pair of dirty socks infront of her and looking around at the astonidhingly messy bedroom. She threw the socks into a pile along with two pairs of jeans and a t-shirt, in the hopes of tidying Harry's room.

'Not much,and I haven't been by myself all the time', was Harry's muffled reply from under the duvets.

'Oh so you've had a different lady up here every night have you' Ginny accused 'Or are you reffering to the many bottles of alcohol that have been keeping you company?'

Ginny stood,staring at the mountain of empty Firewhisky bottles that accompanied what seemed to be enough Butterbeer bottles to get a whole Quidditch team drunk on.If they hadn't been empty anyway.

'Actually I meant Hedwig,.But she's gone now.Almost pecked me to death to get me to open the window for her'

'Yeah she's at The Burrow,Mums been looking after her'

This lightened Harry up a bit,at least Hedwig was ok.

'I bet you haven't eating a thing have you?' Ginny asked.Harry groaned and struggled to get further under the bed covers 'Guzzling all this beer down,honestly Harry I though tyou had more sense than-'

'NO' Harry sat bolt upright on the bed,looking like a zombie awaking from its grave.'NO I HAVE NOT EATEN IN ALMOST 5 DAYS. AND NO I DON'T CARE EITHER.SO WOULD YOU PLEASE LEAVE'

Ginny stared at Harry,not startled in the slightest by his abrupt outburst. He liked that about Ginny,how he never shocked her by shouting or screaming in a rage.She just stood there waiting for him to finish and then asked him if he was ok.Only this time she didn't ask him if he was ok.Instead she bent down,picked the pile of dirty washing up that was at her feet and left the room shutting the door quietly behind her.

Harry sighed and flopped backwards onto his bed,surprised at how much energy had drained out of him.

Why was he doing this? It had been 4 years since it had happened.After the end of their last year at Hogwarts Voldemort had been defeated. The ministry hadn't known untill over two weeks after.They had persumed Voldemort was gone forever but they didn't know for sure untill Harry could definitely tell them.Every year on the same date that Harry had woken up in St. Mungos hospital and told Miriam Elder,the Minister of Miagic, what had happened, a ball was held at the Ministry to celebrate the triumph and remember those lost.The ball was 11 days away Harry guessed judging by how long Ginny had said he'd been in his room.The wizarding world mourned on August the 18th, whilst Harry,The Weasley's,Hermione and other people who knew the full details of what had gone on the night Voldemort was defeated mourned on August 2nd.The true date that so many lives had been lost in order to save Harry' and bring down Voldemort.Remus,Dumbledore,Hagrid,Charlie Weasley, Percy's wife Penelope,too many people Harry knew and loved had died that night.Which was why for the past 2 years Harry had taken to going out and drinking himself into a stupor,only to be snapped by some photographer and have an article about him appear in The Daily Prophet the next day saying how he was emotionally scarred and should be considered to have pshyiiatric help at St. Mungos,by some Rita Skeeter type journalist.Giiny was always there for him the next morning to throw a good headache curing charm at him before packing him off to work where he usuually ran into Hermione who'd frown at him and tell him she dissaproved of what he'd done.Ron however let him get on with it and clearly thought it best Harry get it out of his system,and last year had actually come along with Harry to get excessively drunk causing his own name to appear in the paper. Ron hadn't gone round to The Burrow for at least a week after fearing Mirs Weasley's wrath and had avoided Hermione just as much for the same cause. The public naming and shaming Harry had encountered in his previous years persuaded him to stay home this year were he wouldn't be disturbed or find his own drunken face plastered across the front of the paper the next morning.

Harry heaved himself off the bed and pulled a pair of trousers over his boxer shorts.It felt strange to be awake and not drunk,he thought, and pulling open the bedroom door Harry made his way towards the kitchen.

The strong smell of something bruning hit him as he stepped into his kitchen,coughing and spluttering he wafted the smoke out of his way.

'Ginny Weasley what the hell are you doing trying to burn my kitchen down? I thought you'd left'

'Left? No,I made you some breakfast' Ginny put a tray of sausages and bacon on the side.The bacon was crispy,black and shrivelled at the end,and when Ginny tried to cut the sausage in two halves the end of the knife she was using snapped off,falling to the floor with a clatter.

'Never have been much of a cook' Ginny said,bending down and picking the broken knife up before throwing it in the bin.

'Apparently not'said Harry 'So then,toast it is'

Harry opened the bread bin and dropped several slices in the toaster,before truning to Ginny.

'Mind if I go get a shower?'

'Do I mind? Potter you stink,you haven't washed in days.Please shower,and do us all a favour'

'I'll be ten minutes but don't let the toast burn Weasley'

Ginny gave Harry a playful shove as he made his way out of the kitchen,making for the bathroom.

The feel of the water on Harry's skin was refreshing and feeling much better for finally having washed five days worth of drunken grime away Harry gathered some clean jenas and a t-shirt out of his wradrobe before tugging them on and making his way back to the kitchen where he found Ginny sat at the small table reading a muggle newspaper.

'I didn't know you read the muggle newspaper' Harry said sitting down opposite her and taking a slice of toast off the plate in th middle of the table.

'I always buy it.Its nice to know whast going on in the world,which having been in your room for several days you wouldn't know much about' Ginny smiled at him from over her paper.

'I suppose not,are to enlighten me'

'Well you've not missed out on much really'Ginny said folding the paper and putting on the table 'Lavender and Seamus are getting married next month.I don't know why but you're invitation went to The Burrow'

'I'll tell you why,because that bloody Owl of theirs came tapping at my window at the early hours of the morning,waking me up'

Ginny sighed knowing that the early hours of the morning Harry was talking about wa infact about 12 o'clock in the afternoon. 'Well their weddings in Hogsmeade,September 10th.It'll be nice to see everyone again'

'Ginny we'll see everyone at The Rememberance Ball'

'Well it will be nice to see everyone outside of The Ministry.We never do anything together now,like we used to when we first left school'

'You mean when you eventually left school' Harry said remembering that Ginny had to go back to school for another year after Voldemort had been defetaed. She had occasionally confided in Harry during the christmas holiday that had followed her return to Hogwarts how awful it had been that everyone knew her now becasue she'd been there and had seen it all happen.Harry had helped her laugh it off,saying that everyone knew her anyway because she was so popular.He hadn't laughed when she'd mentioned how the school just wasn't the same without Dumbledore.

'Harry im _one _year younger than you.Besides I doubt you all had any fun without me.'

'We bloody well did'

'Oooh what did you do play Wizards chess by the fire and have a few bottles of Butterbeer between you all.You're Friday nights were boring untill I showed you all the best night clubs.

'Theres nothing wrong with a good game of Wizards Chess.And anyway we went to Night Clubs sometimes.Just not as much as we do now'

Ginny snorted 'Yeah,you went once every blue moon'

Ginny was right.She was the life of the part and the best nights out had always been the ones when Ginny had been their. Over the years Hermione had even managed to let her hair down a bit,well outside of work, and was almost as much the soul of any party as Ginny was.

'Well im going to get off to work' Ginny said picking up her jacket which she'd slung over the back of one of Harry's chairs and pulling it on. 'Some of us have lives to be getting on with.Maybe you should be doing the same Harry'

Harry smiled 'Ill owl into work later and tell hem i'll be back tomorow'

'You better do that Potter,otherwisei'll be back on your case' Ginny replied clearing away the breakfast plates.'And try and tidy this place up a bit'

'Thanks Gin,for,well you know,thanks.' Harry suddenly felt awkward,realising that his behaviour towards Ginny earlier had been quite irrelevant. After all,she had only be trying to help him. 'And i'm sorry for,being an arse earlier'

'Its ok Harry...well no its not.But you know,we all care about you,_I _care about you.I just wish you wouldn't clam up and block people out.Block _me_ out.Were good friends Harry,I expect you to come and talk to me when you feel down or whatever.Ok?'

Harry nodded in silent reply, thankful for Ginny and the way she was.

'I'll call in later if I have the time,and when I do this place better be tidy and smell a bit better' She smiled and leaning upwards gave him a kiss on the cheek.'Bye Harry' Ginny said and made for the door shouting over her shoulder as she left 'And make sure you owl into work'


End file.
